Reptiles are recognized as the first fully land vertebrates, evolving 250 million years ago and in the Mesozoic era [
195 to 65 millions BC] or Age of Reptiles, they flourished and were the dominant animals on the planet. For still unknown reasons, this class of animals started then to decline and presently only 4 orders of the original 23 orders have existing species. Members of the other 19 major orders, including the mighty dinosaurs, became extinct over million of years and only fossils remain of them.
Three of the four present orders have representatives in the country.
Only the Rhynchocephalia order with only two species of tuataras or beakheads still alive, are not present in the country and can only be found on a few islands off the coast of New Zealand.
Squamata is the largest order with 2 500 snakes and 2 500 lizards worldwide and well represented in Ecuador.
Chelonia or Testudines, which comprise 250 turtles and tortoises have some important species present on Galapagos and the mainland.
Crocodilia, where 22 species of alligators, caimans, gavials and the proper crocodiles are grouped together, are considered the true remnants of the golden Age of Reptiles. The caimans are the representatives of this order, living in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
Reptiles are cold-blooded animals, meaning that they depend on the environment for body heat as they cannot produce internal heat like mammals or birds can. Therefore, most reptiles are found in the temperate and tropical regions of the world but some of them can survive in colder regions, going into hibernation when winter hits them.
Another distinguished feature is that they do not have body hair or feathers but instead are covered with epidermal scales.
Reptiles reproduce by laying eggs with some lizards and most snakes giving birth to young after they developed in eggs within their body.
